Bus door safety lock bar



Nov. 2, 1937. 5 2,098,126

BUS DOOR SAFETY LOCK BAR Filed Jan. 13, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l zmma Nov.2, 1937. J. E. ZAITZ BUS DOOR SAFETY LOCK BAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJan. 13, 1956 JUL/U5 E. zA/rZ Patented Nov. 2, 1937 I UNITED STATESPATENT GFFQE BUS DOOR SAFETY LOCK BAR Julius E. Zaitz, Hammond, Ind.

Application January 13, 1936, Serial No. 58,978

1,Claim. (Cl. 268-3) The present invention relates to a lock bar, In theaccompanying drawings wherein for the and more particularly, a lockespecially adapted purpose of illustration there is shown a preferredfor doors of a motor vehicle such as a bus or embodiment of theinvention, the reference nuthe like. meral l2 generally designates, thefront portion 5 One of the objects of the present invention, is of apassenger motor vehicle such as a bus or the to provide a lock bar ofthe class described, which like, to which there is in the usual mannerpivwill prevent the closing of the door or doors of otally mounted adoor is. The door l i, in abus while passengers are loading andunloading busses of this character, are for the most part therebypreventing injury to the passengers. generally located opposite the seatof the driver,

A still further important object of the invenand are adapted throughsome means, to be 10 tion, is to provide a device of the characterdemanually opened and closed by the operator.

scribed, in which the door, when in a closed po- It has been found, thatmany of the devices, sition, cannot be opened, until the device isopernow in use, for effecting the opening and closing ated by theoperator of the bus. of the doors of the bus, are not provided, with Astill further important object of the inven safety means for preventingthe unintentional 5 tion, is to provide in a device of the characteropening and closing of the door and consequently described, novel meansfor preventing actuation serious injury is caused to the passengers bythe of the lock bar, when the door is open, and the accidental openingof the same. operator of the bus is outside of the bus. In the presentinvention, to the front portion A still further important object of theinvenl2 of the bus, there is secured, by means of bolts 20 tion, will befound to reside in the novel safety or the like a bracket IE on whichthere is pivotlatch construction, permitting of the door to be allymounted for movement in a horizontal plane positively locked in closedposition, or in open an arm !8. The free end of the arm, is aperturedposition, thereby preventing the door from causand through the medium ofthe pin 26 has piving injury to the passengers. otally mounted thereon abar 22 which bar has 95 In the accompanying drawings wherein corits freeend bifurcated as at 24 and pivotally responding parts are designated bysimilar refermounted to the door M for effecting an opening encenumerals:- and closing of the same, through the medium of Figure l is afront elevational view of the dethe bracket 26. As clearly illustratedin the drawvice showing the position of the same for mainings, thebifurcated end 24 of the bar 22 is pivot- 30 taining the door in aclosed position. ally mounted to the bracket 26 through the me- Figure 2is a top plan view of Figure 1. dium of the pin connection 28. Figure 3is a vertical sectional view of Figure To the lock bar 22 at a position,within reach, 2 taken on line .3--3 thereof looking in the diandaccessible to the operator of the bus, there rection of the arrows. issecured a latch box 30, the latch box being 35 Figure 4 is a top planview of Figure 3. provided with a depending handle 32. It will Figure 5is a view similar to Figure 3, showing thus be seen that the operator,through the methe position of the latch when the handle is dium of thehandle 32 upon an outward pushing actuated, to release the same from thecatch or an inward pulling may effect the opening box. or closing of thedoc-r Id of the bus. 40

Figure 6 is a front elevational .view of the de- Referring now to Figure3, it will be seen that vice for locking the door in open position.within the latch box 3|] adjacent the upper por- Figure 7 is a top planview of Figure 6. tion of the handle 32, there is pivotally mountedFigure 8 is a fragmentary top plan View, showan actuating lever 36,which actuating lever as ing the position of the latch, with respect tothe clearly illustrated, is normally urged away from 5 door of the lockbox for preventing the door the handle 32, through the medium of thespring from being locked in closed position, when the 38. One end of thespring 35 is securely fastened operator is not in the bus. to the handle32 through the medium of a screw Figure 9 is a fragmentary frontelevational 4B, the free end of the spring abutting the lower view ofthe latching mechanism and the lock inner portion of the lever 36. Asclearly illus- 50 box showing the position of the latch, with retratedin the drawings, the handle 32 is provided spect to the door forpreventing the door from on its upper end with an integral inwardlyexbeing locked in closed position. tending bifurcated portion 45, inwhich the upper Figure 10 is a perspective view of the lock box portionof the handle 36 is pivotally mounted or catch. through the medium ofthe removable pin 48. 55

thereof through the medium of the pin 58 a latch 60 the free end ofwhich projects through an' opening in the end of the box 30, forsuitable engagement and connection with a catching mechanism to behereinafter more fully described.

The latch bar 60, has its innermost free end connected to the projection50, through the me dium of the link 62, to the end, that upon in-j wardmovement of the lever 36, as clearly illustrated in Figure the latch bar60 is rotated, causing the free outer end thereof to be raisedvertically, and upon release of the lever 36, the latch 60 moves throughthe medium of the springs 31 and 38 to its downward catching position.

Referring now, to Figure 6, it will be seen when the handle is pulled toits innermost position, effecting an opening of the door, to the frontportion l2 of the motor vehicle opposite the latch box when in thatposition, there is securely fastened, to the front portion l2 a bracket86 having on the outer free end thereof, an integral catch box 68. Theouter free end 16 of the catch box 68 extends upwardly, and is adaptedto cooperate with the free outer end of the latch, for securelyfastening the latch thereto and maintaining the lock bar in position. Itwill thus be seen, that when the door is in the position illustrated inFigure 6, that is in open position, the same may be securely locked inthat position, through the engagement of the latch bar 60 with itscooperating catch box 68. Upon inward movement of the'lever 36, thelatch bar may be raised thus disengaging the same from the latch box tothe end that the operator may push the handle outwardly to the positionillustrated in Figures 1 and 2, for effecting a closing of the door.Securely fastened to the front portion I2 of the bus, in a positionopposite the latch box 30 when in this position is a similar bracket 62and catch box '68 for locking the door in closed position. The catch box68 cooperating with the latch bar 60 when in this position, is, however,provided with a door 14, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5. Normallythis door is in its raised position as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5,however, When the operator desires to leave the bus with the door inclosed position the door 14 is closed as illustrated in Figure 9 to theend, that the free end of the latch bar 60 cannot engage the upwardprojection 10 of the catch box 12 to effect a locking of the door whilehe is out of the bus.

It will thus be seen, that the door by virtue of the novel constructionof the latch box, and its cooperating catch may be locked in eitherclosed or open position, and when so desired, the operator may eitherlock the door in open position, or upon-closing the door 14 of the catchbox or catch move the door to closed position without fear of beinglocked out of the bus.

While there is shown for the purpose of illustration, a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be specifically understood, thatit is capable of various changes and modifications without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof, and it is intended therefore, thatonly such limitations shall be imposed thereon as are indicated in theprior art or in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:-

A door actuating device for busses of the class described comprising apivotally mounted door, an arm pivotally mounted on the interior of saidbus for swinging movement in a horizontal plane, a bar having one endpivotally connected to the free end of said arm and the other endpivotally connected to said door whereby upon movement of said bar inone direction the door is moved to closed position and in the otherdirection to open position, 2. depending handle on said bar disposedintermediate the ends thereof, a latch box adjacent said bar, apivotally mounted latch bar in said box, a lever pivotally mountedadjacent said handle for actuating said latch bar, a pair of spacedU-shaped catch members disposed in said bus, said latch bar beingcooperable with one or the other of said catch members for maintainingand locking the door in the closed or open position thereof, said catchmembers cooperable with said latch bar for maintaining the door inclosed position, being provided with a hingedly mounted door in itslower position preventing the engagement of the latch bar with saidcatch members whereby said handle may be moved to a position to closesaid bus door without the engagement of the latch bar with said catchmember.

JULIUS E. ZAITZ.

